


Deal.

by R_N_R



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bromance, But they're being cute!, Cute little something I needed to write, M/M, This is short., they don't kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 18:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18078659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_N_R/pseuds/R_N_R
Summary: Ryuji is strong. Stronger than he let others know. He can beat shadows into pulp given the chance and can- will take a hit for a friend any time he has the opportunity; he can run for miles without breaking much of a sweat, even with his injured leg, every one of his friends from the phantom thieves knows about it. But doing all this without complaining about the pain is one of the inner strength no one really knows or think about.





	Deal.

Ryuji is strong. Stronger than he let others know. He can beat shadows into pulp given the chance and can- will take a hit for a friend any time he has the opportunity; he can run for miles without breaking much of a sweat, even with his injured leg, every one of his friends from the phantom thieves knows about it. But doing all this without complaining about the pain is one of the inner strength no one really knows or think about. Sure he complains, a lot, and he likes to be heard when he does so, but he rarely complains about this. He doesn’t want people to think of him any less, he wants to be reliable and useful. 

It has happened more than once when he came out of the Mementos and did his very best to hide his pain. Hop on his good leg to quickly shake the pain out of the other without anyone noticing before he kept walking. He could do this. Admittedly, the need to disguise the pain and hide it from his friends came partly from his pride, or whatever was left of it, but also from his positive attitude: He refused to let this drag him or anyone else down, refused to admit Kamoshida had indeed taken something from him that he would never get back. As long as he could walk, he was going to keep going. 

However, moments came when he couldn’t do much to hide the pain, rain season being one of his least favorite time of year since the incident. Though it didn’t mean he wasn't capable. He still walked to school, trying to ignore his reflection in the shop’s windows so he wouldn’t see his own limp. He also insisted on coming along whenever the team went to the Metaverse. “Sitting on my ass all day won’t help. I’m good to go Joker.” He would say and flash a grin at their leader. He never missed the slight worry he could see from under Akira’s mask, but he never brought it up because Akira never benched him for worrying. The quick nod from Akira, meaning I’ll be counting on you and heck if he loved to be counted on, fighting was the only thing he felt actually good at. 

After one particularly nasty fight though, all of it changed. Akira looked at him, and the worry didn’t leave, and before he knew it they were in a safe room and he was benched. He didn’t agree to it, he didn’t make it an easy decision for Joker either, and after arguing for almost 20 minutes he sunk in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. He sulked for the rest of the infiltration mission and once they were back in the real world, he bit on the inside of his cheek and forced a smile. “I guess that’s that for today!” and they all split to head back home. Though he didn’t miss the way Morgana huffed a quick “Guess he’s not sulking anymore.” 

That was weeks ago, his leg was better and he knew he could fight, but Joker still told him to wait back every once in a while. As much as he wanted to smile and respect Akira’s choice, he couldn’t help but feel useless again. 

“Ryuji. Are you angry with me?” Akira asked one lazy afternoon. They all decided a day off would be beneficial for everyone.  
  
“What? No man. I’m good!” Ryuji quickly said placing the manga he was reading down in his lap.  
  
“You’re as good of a liar as Ann is as an actress. You’ve been quiet.” The raven teen said, looking him over, hoping to break down the defencive wall the blonde has built in the last few days.  
  
“Pff. He was built without a quiet mode, Joker.” Morgana quickly corrected the other teen as he curled on the chair next to Akira’s bed. Ryuji rolled his eyes but didn’t argue, this was enough to ring a bell in Akira’s head.  
  
“I-it’s nothing.” Ryuji said quickly and looked down at the book cover when Akira’s gaze didn’t leave his face. A moment of silence passed between them and Ryuji knew he was still being scrutinized. “Fine. I give.” He quickly said with a groan and threw his head back dramatically. “I’m not angry at you. I know you mean well, but I want to fight by your side again. I’m not good when it comes to planning the infiltration, I can’t heal anyone and I can’t give anyone directions like all of you guys. I’m… definitely not angry. More like, disappointed?” He explained as best as he could, running a hand over the back of his neck. “I know it’s dumb. And probably petty as hell. But-”  
  
“So this is what it was all about?” Akira quickly cut him and smiled. Anyone who would look at him wouldn’t call this a smile, but Ryuji knew Akira well enough by then that he could tell the difference.  
  
“... Yeah. Sorry it’s stupid.”  
  
“It’s not.” The other teen said softly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”  
  
“No- I know, dude! Really, I get it.” If there was something Ryuji didn’t want it was for his friends to be sorry for him. He wasn’t helpless, or weak, he just needed to be allowed to prove everyone that he wasn’t. “Just… Ok, what about this. You stop feeling sorry for me right now, let me back in the fight and in exchange, I promise I will back out when I’m feeling a little off, deal?” The blonde quickly said and smiled at his friend, extending a hand for a handshake to seal the deal.  
  
“Also, you talk to me when you’ve got something on your mind.” Akira added and kept his hand to himself until Ryuji agreed to his terms.  
  
“Deal. But same goes to you.” He added and Akira shook his hand. And just like that, Ryuji’s mood obviously lifted. “I love you, man.” He said, too quickly, too honestly. His cheeks started to burn with the sudden realisation of what he had said and he looked away, quickly pulling his hand back. “I-I mean. You know- You’re just the best a-and I don’t want to lose you ever. Or make things weird- Not that it was weird or anything! I just- I really like having you around and- and you always know what to do whenever things are bad! And I-”  
  
“Ryuji. Shut. up.” Morgan quickly hissed, cutting his rambling short while Akira looked at him as calm as ever, only the hint of a blush dusting over his pale skin. And that was definitely a smile.  
  
“I love you too Ryuji. Please don’t forget to breath.” Akira admitted, reaching out to grab the blonde’s hand again and held onto it lightly. 

Ryuji smiled nervously and locked eyes on their hands for a moment before gathering enough courage to give Akira’s a light squeeze. He did as he was told and started to breathe again, wondering when he had started to hold his breath; probably somewhere around the L word. 

“Wow! He actually did shut up. Good job Akira!” Morgana praised, surprise obvious in his tone.  
  
“You just had to ruin the mood, didn’t you…” Ryuji growled toward the cat.  
  
“You ruined it the moment you open your big mouth.” The cat shot back. Akira could only sigh loudly at the both of them, there was no way to ever keep them from bickering, this wasn’t anything new.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a lot for reading! Kudos and comments are really appreciated!  
> Let me know if you want me to write more about those dorks!


End file.
